First impression is everything…
There is nothing more fun than opening up a wedding invitation from a beautifully addressed envelope! This first glimpse of your wedding really sets the tone for the affair. Your guests should get a hint from the wedding invitation what your wedding will be like. Will it be a formal soiree in a ballroom or a rustic affair complete with hay and cowgirl boots? Your guests should be able to tell from the style of invitation you send out!
A wedding invitation sets the tone for the entire day. It reflects the style and theme of the event and personalities of the couple. This first glimpse to your wedding has the potential to create a lot of excitement and buzz about this very special event!
Here are 10 things you should know and do before ordering!
1. Envision your dream wedding and get an idea of your personal style and taste.
What do you see when you close your eyes and envision your dream wedding? Is it during the day or in the evening? Will it be formal or more casual? Will it be in your hometown or somewhere far away? Write down at least 10 adjectives that best describe how you want your wedding day to look and feel. Some examples are: traditional, formal, romantic, modern, lavish, rustic, fun, casual, elegant, etc.
2. Decide if your wedding will have a theme.
Is your wedding in the mountains or at the beach? Do you share a love of sailing? Did you meet at a football game? Are there any items of significance you want to incorporate into your wedding and possibly your invitations or accessories? Do you want to create a custom duogram {first letters of your names} for your invitations or a custom monogram? This can serve as the "logo" for your wedding and can tie everything together!
3. Pick your color palette (if you will have one).
Do you have a favorite color you want to carry throughout the wedding? What color are your bridesmaids' dresses? Is the wedding in a particular season? {Think browns, greens, gold for Fall, bright pinks and greens for Spring, blues and oranges for Summer and silver, champagne and pink for Winter} Using the same colors throughout wedding is a great way to tie everything together.
4. Determine how many invitations you will need to send.
Keep in mind that this is not the number of guests you want to invite to your wedding. This is the number of households to which invitations will be sent. For example, if you are inviting 200 people and three-quarters of them are married, the number of invitations you will need is more like 125 or 150. Always order extra invitations. Guest lists have a way of creeping up, often suddenly and at the last minute. The cost of ordering more than you think you'll need as part of your initial order is far, far less than the cost of ordering a small number at a later date. {Keep in mind that the cost of invitations is primarily based on the design, layout and running of the printing press, not the quantity of invitations, so ordering a small number later can often be nearly as expensive as the initial order.}
5. Understand the various printing methods and paper stock.
An experienced wedding stationer can explain each of the methods of printing and the differences between them. These methods include letterpress, engraving, embossing, thermography, and flat printing {including offset or lithography, digital, and desktop printing like laser or inkjet}. Before your appointment, start to notice any mentions in bridal magazines about the various ways that featured invitations are printed. If you have a preference for one or more, let your stationer know what you like or don't like about each style. It's also great if you can bring in magazine pages or samples of invitation styles that you'd like.
A good wedding stationer will be able to explain to you and show examples of different paper stocks, including papers made from tree pulp, cotton, and bamboo, as well as the different weights and thicknesses of invitation papers. Are you concerned about using eco-friendly papers? Your stationer should be able to help you select papers and other components that are easier on the environment if this is important to you.
6. Decide what other cards you want to include with your wedding invitation.
Would you prefer a reply card and envelope or a reply postcard? Will you need a reception card, directions card, accommodations card, or wedding website card? Do you like pocket folds, belly bands, ribbons, envelope liners, or all of the above? Do you want single envelopes or double envelopes? You will want to see, touch and feel a variety of samples to help you decide what you like best as you build your perfect wedding invitation suite.
7. Have a rough idea of your budget.
However, be open to being educated about what different invitation styles and printing methods cost. Too often, bridal magazines do a disservice by showcasing luxurious suites of high-end wedding invitations with all the bells and whistles, but then advise in the back of the magazine that you assign a woefully low percentage of the budget for wedding invitations and accessories. This just creates unreasonable expectations from the outset. A great stationer will inform you about the varying costs of different printing methods, stocks, and add-ond and will work with you to create a wedding invitation suite that is within your monetary comfort zone.
8. Determine who will be issuing the wedding invitation.
Does your family situation fit the traditional mode in which the bride's parents issue the invitation? Or does your family situation look like many these days in which varying circumstances dictate wording that is different from traditional? For example, are your parents divorced? remarried? one or both parents deceased? Are the grooms' parents equally involved and contributing to the wedding financially? Are you paying for the majority of the wedding expenses yourself? Your stationer will be able to navigate with you the wording of your invitations as may be dictated by any complexities in your family situations and etiquette guidelines.
9. Decide how you would like the invitation to be addressed.
Will your or your family or friends be hand-addressing the envelopes? Will you hire a calligrapher? Will you have the addresses printed on the envelopes? Always order extra envelopes {typically 10% extra} for any errors in addressing.
10. Make your final decision.
Making your final decision doesn't have the be stressful. Be sure to give yourself a chance to be informed and to look at several options before you buy. Trust your own instincts. There will generally be one invitation suite that you come back to over and over…. this is typically the "one."You never get a second chance to make a first impression! We will help you design the invitation of your dreams!
Courtesy of WMB
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